Faculty Publications

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Author: search.filters.author.Prabhu, K.N.Subject: search.filters.subject.Hardness

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    Effect of surface roughness on metal/quenchant interfacial heat transfer and evolution of microstructure
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2007) Prabhu, K.N.; Fernandes, P.
    In the present work, the effect of surface roughness on heat transfer rates in various quenchants was determined. The heat flux transients at the probe/quenchant interface were estimated by inverse modeling of heat conduction during end quenching of stainless steel probes with three different surface roughness (grooved, Ra = 3.0 and 1 ?m). Heat transfer during quenching was correlated with the hardness obtained for medium carbon AISI 1060 steel specimens. The effect of surface roughness on heat transfer rate during quenching in water and brine was significant for rough surface whereas its effect on heat transfer rate is only marginal in high viscosity oil quenchants. A fully martensitic structure was observed with grooved surface subjected to water quenching. With a smooth surface a mixed microstructure was obtained. The oil quenched specimens were found to be less sensitive to surface roughness. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    The effect of simultaneous refinement and modification by cerium on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-8% Si alloy
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd. maney@maney.co.uk, 2016) Vijayan, V.; Prabhu, K.N.
    The effect of cerium melt treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of gravity die cast Al-8% Si alloy was studied. The addition of Ce transformed the large columnar ?-Al grains into fine equiaxed grains and modified the acicular eutectic Si into fine fibrous form. The addition of Ce resulted in the formation of needle-shaped complex Ce intermetallic along the grain boundaries. Electrical conductivity measurements are used for the first time to reveal the effect of Ce addition on modification of the eutectic Si. The electrical conductivity of the alloy increased with Ce melt treatment. Scanning Electron Microscopy results suggests that the Ce particles did not heterogeneously nucleate the ?-Al grains, instead the fine equiaxed grains were formed through an invariant reaction between the liquid melt and Ce phase. The ultimate tensile strength, % elongation and hardness of the alloy significantly improved due to simultaneous modification and refinement. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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    Estimation of spatially dependent heat flux transients during quenching of inconel probe in molten salt bath
    (ASTM International, 2017) Pranesh Rao, K.M.; Prabhu, K.N.
    Several industrial heat treatment processes, such as martempering and austempering, require a quench bath to be maintained at a temperature ranging between 150°C–600°C. Molten salts, molten alkali, and hot oils are the preferred quenchants for these processes. Molten salts and molten alkali are preferred over hot oil because they possess properties like wide operating temperature range, excellent thermal stability, and tolerance for contaminants. In the present work, the performance of a molten potassium nitrate (KNO3) quench bath was analyzed with an Inconel probe that measured 60 mm in height and 12.5 mm in diameter. The probe was heated to 850°C and subsequently quenched in a bath maintained at 450°C. Cooling curves at different locations of the probe were recorded using the K-type thermocouples inserted into the probe. Spatially dependent transient heat flux at the metal/quenchant interface was estimated using inverse heat conduction technique. The existence of two stages of quenching—boiling stage and convection stage—was confirmed by analyzing the heat flux. The heat transfer coefficient was calculated based on heat flux obtained by the inverse method. The nonuniformity in heat transfer along the length of the probe was quantified by calculating the range of surface temperatures at each instance. The hardness distribution in an AISI 4140 steel was predicted using the temperature distribution in the Inconel probe and obtained using inverse method. Uneven distribution of hardness predicted in the probe was attributed to the nonuniform cooling of the probe during quenching. © © 2017 by ASTM International.
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    Effect of section thickness on heat transfer during quenching in vegetable oils
    (ASTM International, 2018) Nayak, U.V.; Prabhu, K.N.
    In the present work, mineral, sunflower, karanja, and neem oil were used as quench media. 304 stainless steel probes with diameters of 25 mm and 50 mm were quenched in these oils to assess the effect of section diameter on heat transfer during quenching. Cooling curve analysis was carried out by instrumenting the probes at various locations with thermocouples. The heat extraction ability of oil quench media was quantified using an inverse heat conduction method. Thermal data and the predicted hardness values showed the suitability of nonedible vegetable oils as potential quenchants to heat treat steels. The predicted hardness was higher during quenching in karanja oil compared to other oil media. © © 2018 by ASTM International.
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    Reprocessed waste sunflower cooking oil as quenchant for heat treatment
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Prathviraj, M.P.; Samuel, A.; Prabhu, K.N.
    The growing concern to minimize the use of petroleum derived mineral oil in heat treatment industries has led to the search for alternative eco-friendly quenchants. Although vegetable oils seem to be a viable option, the higher cost and inferior thermal and oxidation stability have limited their application in the heat treatment industry. The reuse of waste cooking oils for industrial heat treatment would not only make quenchants cost-efficient but also environment friendly. In this study, the cooling performance of waste sunflower cooking oil was assessed and compared with that of unused sunflower cooking and mineral oils. The waste sunflower oil was made suitable for quenching by cleaning and chemical treatment. The experiment to assess the suitability of reprocessed oil for quenching was conducted using an Inconel 600 standard probe according to ISO 9950 and ASTM D 6200 standards. The thermal history acquired while quenching of the probe was used to estimate the surface heat flux transients. The results indicated that the chemically treated waste sunflower cooking oil had a higher cooling performance than that of unused sunflower and the mineral oils. A good agreement was found between the heat flux transients and hardness data obtained with the quenched AISI 4140 steel probe. The simulation of temperature and hardness distribution indicated more uniformity along the length of the probe indicating more uniform cooling with chemically treated waste sunflower cooking oil. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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    Numerical Simulation to Predict the Effect of Process Parameters on Hardness during Martempering of AISI4140 Steel
    (Springer, 2021) Pranesh Rao, K.M.P.; Prabhu, K.N.
    Martempering is a widely practiced industrial heat treatment process to harden steel parts with minimum distortion. A numerical experiment to predict hardness distribution in AISI 4140 steel cylinders of various diameters during martempering is presented in this work. Apart from the diameter (D), the effect of other process variables such as heat transfer coefficient (h), bath temperature (Tb), and residence time (tr) was also studied. The relationship between hardness distribution and the aforementioned process variables was highly nonlinear. An artificial neural network (ANN) model with a single hidden layer and 30 hidden layer neurons was thus developed to predict the hardness distribution in martempered AISI 4140 steel cylinders. The increase in bath temperature, diameter, and residence time decreased the average hardness, and an increase in the heat transfer coefficient increased the average hardness of martempered AISI 4140 cylinders. The weights of the ANN model were used to calculate the relative importance of all input variables and they followed a decreasing order of Tb>D>tr>h. © 2021, ASM International.
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    A Novel LiNO3-Based Eutectic Salt Mixture for Industrial Heat Treatment
    (ASTM International, 2022) Pranesh Rao, K.M.P.; Prabhu, K.N.
    A potassium nitrate-lithium nitrate-sodium nitrate (KNO3-LiNO3-NaNO3) eutectic mixture having a low melting point has been proposed as an alternative high-temperature quench medium. Inconel and steel probes were used to compare the quench performance of a conventional sodium nitrite (NaNO2) eutectic mixture and the proposed alternative medium at different bath temperatures. For the Inconel probe, the heat extraction rate was higher in the eutectic LiNO3 mixture maintained at 150°C. At elevated bath temperatures of 200°C, 250°C, and 300°C, the heat extraction rate was higher in the eutectic NaNO2 mixture. AISI 52100 steel probes quenched in eutectic LiNO3 quench medium at 150°C and 200°C showed higher hardness. At bath temperatures of 250°C and 300°C, the hardness of AISI 4140 steel probes quenched in both media was comparable. Wettability studies on Inconel and steel surfaces revealed the occurrence of nonuniform dilation of a LiNO3 eutectic mixture droplet. On the steel surface, the phenomenon occurred at lower temperatures, which resulted in an extended boiling stage and increased hardness. © 2022 by ASTM International